Assembly Innovation Park | 5 Middlesex Ave | Somerville

[curcuas]

I'm curious what you think that means... Cambridge hasn't stood in the way of very much development in Kendall. You can't build 1000' lab buildings, and there's only so much ground in Kendall to put the buildings on.

Look at the slow pace of development, the endless barriers that Cambridge throws up, the near inability to build housing. Sure, right around the T stop, there does appear to be fairly uninhibited development, just massively slowed and delayed, pushing companies out as rents climb.

North of Binney up to Lechmere, however, the maximum you can build is only a couple stories at most over an entire lot. Look at the tiny developments along First st. There's massive demand for these spaces - the older buildings along the river are full and the ones of First have included Zipcar and Hubspot, and Patients Like Me and Foundation Medicine on Second. Not small outfits any of these. Yet you cannot build much, which is forcing more companies out of Kendall.

Furthermore, these deeply arbitrary limits on growth have led to only a pittance of housing being built in the major business district. Kendall remains deserted at night.

These issues were not foretold, rather, it was the desire for control by the Cambridge authorities that are slowing and spreading much of the natural growth.

 

[tysmith95]

From BLDUP: http://www.bldup.com/projects/5-middlesex-avenue

"Cresset Development has acquired 5 Middlesex Avenue, the site of a proposed 1.9-million-square-foot mixed-use development on which the proponent plans to break ground in 2019, for $35 million. An existing 195,000 square foot office building stands on the property. Cresset plans to complete permitting for the proposed development, which was originally proposed by seller RD Management and would retain the existing building, this year."

 

[fattony]

1670 parking space? Did I read that right? Can we cut that by about s factor of 4 please?

 

[Equilibria]

1670 parking space? Did I read that right? Can we cut that by about s factor of 4 please?

It's mostly office. No chance it rents without parking.

 

[fattony]

It's mostly office. No chance it rents without parking.

I suppose 2 million square feet is going to be a lot more than 1670 jobs. I still don't have to like it.

The upside, of course, is that this is a tremendous amount of commercial space for Somerville. Good for me as a taxpayer.

 

[Equilibria]

I suppose 2 million square feet is going to be a lot more than 1670 jobs. I still don't have to like it.

The upside, of course, is that this is a tremendous amount of commercial space for Somerville. Good for me as a taxpayer.

A different way to look at it might be: is 240-whatever spaces appropriate for the residential portion?

Or: could Somerville be directing some of that tax revenue into improved bus services (read: bus services that don't suck) into Assembly to relieve the demand for parking at offices there?

 

[tysmith95]

A different way to look at it might be: is 240-whatever spaces appropriate for the residential portion?

Or: could Somerville be directing some of that tax revenue into improved bus services (read: bus services that don't suck) into Assembly to relieve the demand for parking at offices there?

Somerville doesn't fund the T. Although they should work to extend some of the Sullivan buses to Assembly.

 

[DZH22]

A different way to look at it might be: is 240-whatever spaces appropriate for the residential portion?

Subway stop notwithstanding, this area is right next to the highway and essentially in an island, disconnected from other walkable areas. I don't think it's a stretch to think that 98% of the people who end up living here would own at least 1 car. If this was downtown or even in a denser, more integrated part of Cambridge/Somerville I'd be more likely to scrutinize that number.

 

[jass]

Subway stop notwithstanding, this area is right next to the highway and essentially in an island, disconnected from other walkable areas. I don't think it's a stretch to think that 98% of the people who end up living here would own at least 1 car. If this was downtown or even in a denser, more integrated part of Cambridge/Somerville I'd be more likely to scrutinize that number.

So these people will be different from everybody else in their region?

 

[tysmith95]

So these people will be different from everybody else in their region?

I'd be willing to bet that the majority of units in Medford have at least one car.

And in my opinion Assembly is more contiguous with Medford then it is with the rest of Somerville (due to I-93).

 

[DAVE]

I'd be willing to bet that the majority of units in Medford have at least one car.

And in my opinion Assembly is more contiguous with Medford then it is with the rest of Somerville (due to I-93).

According to the census, 87.7% of units have at least 1 car, with 12.3% having no car. I should add that history isn't destiny and we don't have to keep these same numbers just cause thats what the region has.

 

[JumboBuc]

I'm rooting for this and Assembly's Edge in part because I'd love see some non-Federal Realty development go up in Assembly. It's been a one-company area for too long. These projects will add a little variety to the area and help draw the mini-city that is Assembly out away from the Orange Line.

We're also much more likely to get the sort of competition that decreases rents with multiple landlords than with one. Federal is prudently taking its time building out the Assembly phases; new projects going up on neighboring (and less desirable) lots could speed the whole process up.

Also, note the shapes of Assembly Row block 9 in these plans:

Federal's Assembly Row plans show block 9 as a truncated triangle surrounded by a pedestrian way, while the "5 Middlesex Ave" plans show it as a rectangle surrounded by a street. And the "5 Middlesex Ave" plans show part of "Block 23" on what Federal depicts as a green plaza. I wonder if the "5 Middlesex Ave" developers are angling for a land-swap with Federal, giving them more space for Block 23 and Federal more space for block 9...

 

[Equilibria]

Federal's Assembly Row plans show block 9 as a truncated triangle surrounded by a pedestrian way, while the "5 Middlesex Ave" plans show it as a rectangle surrounded by a street. And the "5 Middlesex Ave" plans show part of "Block 23" on what Federal depicts as a green plaza. I wonder if the "5 Middlesex Ave" developers are angling for a land-swap with Federal, giving them more space for Block 23 and Federal more space for block 9...

It's not unlikely (though remember that there's a new owner now, so what the last one might have wanted to do doesn't matter much). Here's a combined image of the two:

 

[Equilibria]

Revised master plan has been filed with City of Somerville. For some reason, the design program appendix isn't on their website, but you can get an idea of it from the shadow study.

https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/Appendix_D.pdf

Tallest portion of the project is 250'.

Mod, please name this thread to "XMBLY | 5 Middlesex Avenue | Somerville"

 

[Equilibria]

Now with renders:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ifa.somervillema.gov/documents/xmbly-appendix-b.pdf

 

[JumboBuc]

Now with renders:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ifa.somervillema.gov/documents/xmbly-appendix-b.pdf

Interesting that "Block 21" (corner of Middlesex Ave and Foley St) includes a fire station--complete with parked fire engines--as a ground floor use. I knew that Somerville was looking to add a fire station in the Assembly area; integrating one into the ground floor of an office building sounds like a great use of space.

Overall, however, I'd like to see more retail, especially on "Block 23". There's way too much ground floor parking garage space. The Assembly Row development, despite its plethora of parking garage space, does really well to avoid this.

 

[Equilibria]

Interesting that "Block 21" (corner of Middlesex Ave and Foley St) includes a fire station--complete with parked fire engines--as a ground floor use. I knew that Somerville was looking to add a fire station in the Assembly area; integrating one into the ground floor of an office building sounds like a great use of space.

Overall, however, I'd like to see more retail, especially on "Block 23". There's way too much ground floor parking garage space. The Assembly Row development, despite its plethora of parking garage space, does really well to avoid this.

It's given over more to lobby space and "active use" than to parking, though. Most of the frontage on the office buildings is something other than parking. The residential lowrise looks like a clunker in a lot of ways. Same ugly siding as the one down in NorthPoint.

 

[tysmith95]

Already tons of retail at Assembly. Too much and you risk vacancy's and overbuilding.

 

[stick n move]

You can build ground floor condos if you dont want to build more retail, nobody ever said you cant, its just that when you do build on the ground floor its usually reserved for retail. Nothing says you have to though.

One Rincon hill in San Fran has ground level condo's I couldn't find a really up close picture of the base but they're there.

 

[navigator4]

The parking for the existing building is currently very full (there's a school, state offices, gym, and doctor's offices). There does not seem to be enough spaces since the existing building will have few spaces and the new buildings' parking looks like it will barely (if at all) cover the new buildings' tenants/guests.